Hataraki Man

Hataraki Man (働きマン, "Working Man") is a manga series by Moyoco Anno. It ran in Kodansha's seinen magazine Morning from 2004 until 2008, when it went on indefinite hiatus. The protagonist, 28-year-old Hiroko Matsukata, works as an editor at the magazine Weekly Jidai. Her intense focus on her job leads coworkers to call her "Hataraki Man," yet she frequently wrestles with self-doubt and the difficulty of maintaining a personal life alongside her career.

Development

The story follows Hiroko as she throws herself into her work, able to switch into a "Hataraki Man" mode at will. Though successful professionally, her romantic life suffers; her boyfriend is an even more dedicated workaholic than she is. Anno has stated that women need a "Man Switch" and called for greater understanding of male and female psychology in the workplace. She has criticized what she sees as a growing laziness in modern Japanese culture, arguing that the erosion of traditional seriousness has lowered the quality of Japanese work.

Plot

Key characters include Maiko Kaji, an elegant and aloof woman admired by male colleagues; Akihisa Kobayashi, a mild-mannered reporter covering food and porn who is a drinking buddy of Hiroko's; Mayu Nagisa, a somewhat unreliable aspiring fiction writer and one of Hiroko's closest office friends; Kimio Narita, an active boss who balances authority with encouragement; Yumi Nogawa, who embraces her femininity in contrast to Hiroko and is engaged to a man who may have been Maiko's ex; Fumiya Sugawara, a gruff paparazzo with a hidden calm found in sky photography; Kunio Tanaka, who believes life should not be wasted on work and often clashes with Hiroko; Tatsuhiko Umemiya, a laid-back senior editor sometimes accused of sexism but capable of taking responsibility; and Shinji Yamashita, Hiroko's boyfriend, who works long hours and travels frequently, causing strain in their relationship.

Anime

The manga was adapted into an anime television series that aired from October to December 2006, and a drama that aired from October to December 2007. In North America, Maiden Japan has licensed the anime.